It is important that hollow medical devices, in particular endoscopes are properly cleaned between subsequent uses. For this reason special cleaning devices are known which are used to clean hollow medical devices. In such cleaning device the channels within the medical device are connected to feed lines so that each channel can be separately flushed with a cleaning fluid. These cleaning devices are well known, and for instance disclosed in EP 0 709 056.
The cleaning effect of the cleaning device should regularly be tested to make sure that medical devices introduced in the cleaning device are properly cleaned.
It is known to provide a surrogate endoscope which resembles the structure of the real endoscope to test the cleaning effect. By using a surrogate endoscope the expensive endoscope does not have to be used to test the cleaning device.
Plate-shaped indicators may be used to check the cleaning effect of a cleaning device. These indicators comprise a test surface on which a test sample is provided. U.S. 2007/0008160 discloses a sterilization confirmation tester in which plate-shaped indicators are used to test the effect of sterilization.
It may be advantageous to use standard size indicators. However, these indicators do not always fit into the respective channel of the endoscope or the surrogate endoscope. U.S. 2007/0008160 discloses the use of a holder, where the cross section of the holder is widened at the location of the indicator to hold the indicator. At both ends of the holder tubes are connected, which tubes resemble the structure of the endoscope to be cleaned.
Although the tubes are selected to resemble the structure of the endoscope, the widening of the test channel at the location of the indicator, changes the flow characteristics at the location of the indicator. As a result, the cleaning effect of the cleaning device as determined by the indicator may be incorrect when compared to an endoscope channel having a smaller diameter.
This situation may result in cleaning devices being disapproved as they show insufficient cleaning effect on the indicator after testing the cleaning device, while the actual cleaning effect in a real endoscope is sufficient. Also, a cleaning device may be approved for having sufficient cleaning effect, while the actual cleaning of a real endoscope is insufficient.